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What We Do

Soroptimists seek not only to help the victims of social inequalities and human rights abuses but also to address the social, environmental and economic factors that are root causes. They research, discuss and have carefully considered positions on major issues of global concern. Soroptimist International has special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ESCOC) has recognised status as a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) with a broad range of expertise and a comprehensive agenda. This allows our collective efforts and opinions to be shared with a wider community and makes us an effective global voice for women.

Awareness Advocacy Action

Soroptimist members are encouraged to raise their own and others’ Awareness of issues of global concern affecting women and girls. Soroptimists advocate for policy commitments and social changes that will improve the status of women and promote sustainable communities.

NGOs like Soroptimist International have been influential in shaping the current global policy framework on women’s empowerment and gender equality, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and are effective advocates for the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They continue to play an important role in holding international and national leaders accountable for the commitments they made in the Platform for Action.

Soroptimist Position on Global Issues

Soroptimist International has developed a series of position statements on issues of global concern. These have been developed with broad consultation of the membership and represent the collective opinion of the membership on issues of major importance. Full copies of these statements are published in a document titled “Where We Stand“.

In developing position statements, Soroptimist International often supports the principles outlined in such international treaties and conventions as:

Soroptimists are encouraged to become aware of the content of such documents and advocate for implementation of policies and legislation which support the principles contained in these documents.

Educate, Empower, Enable

Through Project work, Soroptimists work at their local and national level on projects which meet the 8 objectives of Education, Elimination of violence, Economic empowerment, Food security, Healthcare, Environmental sustainability/water and sanitation, Conflict resolution/peace promotion, Disaster relief, mitigation and resilience, the work achieved through these projects provides opportunities to Educate, Empower and Enable women and girls to plan for their future, allows for their economic growth and opens doors to their dreams.

Programme Focus 2015-2019:
Note that only Soroptimist International reports work done under Goal 1. The four Federations all work towards the focus under Goal 2.

Goal 1: Soroptimist International will be a global voice for women and girls

Objectives:
Increase Soroptimist advocacy at the global level
Increase the international visibility and profile of Soroptimist International

Goal 2: The Soroptimist federations will be linked in their efforts to improve the lives of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities.

The focus for Goal 2 will be projects in the areas of:

Education

Elimination of violence

Economic empowerment

Food security

Healthcare

Environmental sustainability/water and sanitation

Conflict resolution/peace promotion

Disaster mitigation and relief

Good projects cover several, if not most, Programme Areas. Assistant Programme Directors are responsible for each of the Programme Areas: Economic Empowerment, Environmental Sustainability, Food Security and Healthcare, Learning Opportunities and Violence and Conflict Resolution.

The Assistant Programme Directors work with the Federation Programme Director, as a co-ordinated team.